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Coach McDonnell led the track team to their first national championship at the 1984 NCAA Indoor
Championships while the school was a member of the now-defunct Southwest Conference. Since then, the University of Arkansas has won 40 NCAA championships, including 11 cross country, 19 indoor track and 10
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on the campus of the
University of Arkansas is named in his honor. McDonnell has been inducted as a member of the United States Track Coaches Hall of Fame, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Southwestern Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
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where he championed record-breaking success as a track star and gained a level of global attention that eventually sparked a life-changing call to move to the United States where he would successfully represent
America on the track.
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McDonnell's 40 national championships (which include 19 in indoor track, 10 in outdoor track and 11 in cross country) are more than any coach in any sport in the history of college athletics. The next highest is 31 by
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271:) in 1969. While competing to become a six-time all-American in track and cross country at USL, he became the 1966–67 AAU 3,000-meter champion, and won the mile at the 1966 British Selection Games.
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his 1994 indoor track squad won the national championship by the widest margins in the history of the sport as well as scored the most points (94) in the history of the NCAA event
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publication chronicles the timeline of McDonnell's life, starting at the early beginnings of the famed sports figure's childhood growing up in his beloved native
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has coached 23 Olympians, including gold, silver and bronze medalists, 105 NCAA individual event champions and 331 individual event conference champions
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On
February 27th, 2013, a published autobiography of the life and works of John McDonnell was officially declared a co-authorship between
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Outdoor
Championships. He is considered by many to be the single most successful head coach (any sport) in collegiate athletics history.
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McDonnell was granted United States citizenship in 1969, the same year he graduated from the
University of Southwestern Louisiana.
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This count does not include two national championships in outdoor track that were vacated by the NCAA (2004 and 2005).
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and track head coach for the university in 1972 and became head track coach in 1978. McDonnell retired after the 2008
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McDonnell was hired as the cross country coach in 1972 and added the entire men's track and field program in 1978.
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25 consecutive conference titles in cross country with indoor track and outdoor track combined from 1987 to 1995
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outdoor track. Other schools have won only 24 combined NCAA titles in the three sports during the same period.
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462:"John McDonnell, most successful coach in NCAA history, dies at 82 | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette"
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McDonnell also won five national triple crowns (in 1984-85, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95 and 1998–99).
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34 consecutive league cross country championships, including 17 straight in the SEC (1974–2007)
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has been named national, regional or conference coach of the year a total of 140 times
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73 conference championships in the last 77 events
Arkansas has entered since 1981-1982
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20 conference triple crowns since 1982, including eight straight between 1987 and 1995
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84 conference championships overall since 1974 including 38 in the SWC and 46 in the
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and the
Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute and he worked closely with the
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After retiring, McDonnell enjoyed spending time on his 2,500-acre (10 km)
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his 1994 squad scored a meet record 223 points at the SEC Outdoor
Championships
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511:"University of Arkansas Press Publishes Autobiography of Coach John McDonnell"
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coached 185 track All-Americans, earning 652 separate All-America honors
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has won three national triple crowns. No other school has ever won one.
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437:"Legendary Arkansas Track & Field Coach John McDonnell Passes Away"
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700:"Legendary college athletics coach John McDonnell dies in Arkansas"
672:"John McDonnell, most successful coach in NCAA history, dies at 82"
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www.secsports.com - Arkansas Sweeps SEC Cross
Country Championships
564:"Legendary college athletics coach John McDonnell dies in Arkansas"
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In addition, McDonnell's team and individual achievements include:
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23 Olympians coached spanning three decades and six different
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12 consecutive NCAA indoor track championships (1984–1995)
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John McDonnell: The Most Successful Coach in NCAA History,
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John McDonnell: The Most Successful Coach in NCAA History
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awareness. He was married to the former Ellen Elias of
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Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's track and field athletes
282:(1971) before coming to the University of Arkansas.
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Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's cross country runners
227:In 2005, Coach John McDonnell was inducted to the
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419:McDonnell died in Fayetteville on June 7, 2021.
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263:McDonnell earned his bachelor's degree from
774:Arkansas Razorbacks track and field coaches
406:University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
356:including gold, silver and bronze medalists
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16:American track and field coach (1938–2021)
794:Arkansas Razorbacks cross country coaches
487:"USA Track & Field | John McDonnell"
416:and has two children, Heather and Sean.
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534:Donnell, John; Maloney, Andrew (2013).
229:National Track & Field Hall of Fame
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337:(out of a possible 50, or 90 percent)
178:49-time conference coach of the year
764:Irish emigrants to the United States
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587:Press, The Associated (2021-06-08).
286:Coaching accomplishments at Arkansas
197:(July 2, 1938 – June 7, 2021) was a
677:Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
176:30-time national coach of the year
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784:People from Pryor Creek, Oklahoma
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276:New Providence (N.J.) High School
265:Southwestern Louisiana University
769:American track and field coaches
642:Dennehy, Cathal (June 8, 2021).
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349:54 individual national champions
180:62-time region coach of the year
698:O'Riordan, Ian (June 8, 2021).
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789:Sportspeople from County Mayo
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540:University of Arkansas Press
396:. He owned over 650 head of
248:University of Arkansas Press
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515:University of Arkansas News
377:and the Mayo Hall of Fame.
306:and current track coach at
280:Lafayette (La.) High School
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670:Holt, Bob (June 8, 2021).
402:American Heart Association
147:Accomplishments and honors
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211:team. He began as the
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161:SWC Championships: 38
157:NCAA Championships: 40
117:New Providence (NJ) HS
86:Southwestern Louisiana
71:Fayetteville, Arkansas
159:NCAA Triple Crowns: 5
55:County Mayo, Ireland
37:Biographical details
441:Arkansas Razorbacks
414:Bayonne, New Jersey
269:Louisiana-Lafayette
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629:2006-10-30 at the
164:SEC Championships:
99:3,000 meters, mile
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466:www.nwaonline.com
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127:Lafayette (LA) HS
104:Coaching career (
31:McDonnell in 2008
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468:. 2021-06-08
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66:(2021-06-07)
64:June 7, 2021
52:July 2, 1938
759:2021 deaths
754:1938 births
408:to promote
96:Position(s)
748:Categories
598:2024-04-29
573:2024-04-29
520:2024-04-29
496:2024-04-29
472:2024-04-29
447:2024-04-29
423:References
259:Early life
242:. Titled,
206:Razorbacks
199:head coach
48:1938-07-02
491:usatf.org
302:, former
300:Pat Henry
133:1972–2008
113:1969–1970
82:1965–1969
627:Archived
201:for the
137:Arkansas
711:June 8,
683:June 8,
655:June 8,
252:Ireland
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398:cattle
223:Legacy
171:Awards
267:(now
209:track
713:2021
685:2021
657:2021
544:ISBN
372:The
246:the
238:and
217:NCAA
123:1971
61:Died
42:Born
732:at
392:in
335:SEC
304:LSU
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
